Afghan War Costs US $3.6B Per Month

Figure will go even higher if more troops are sent
By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 15, 2009 9:36 AM CDT
Afghan War Costs US $3.6B Per Month
A special operations plane sits on the tarmac as it is readied to fly a re-supply mission to Special Forces soldiers at a fire base in Afghanistan Saturday, Sept. 5, 2009.   (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Waging a war in Afghanistan ain’t cheap. The US is spending roughly $3.6 billion a month there, according to data from the Congressional Research Service, and that number is likely to rise precipitously as the Obama administration sends more troops. That estimate is based on 51,000 troops; Obama is already planning to bump that to 68,000, and is considering General McChrystal’s request for up to 40,000 more.

Every soldier sent to Afghanistan costs roughly $1 million a year, one CRS specialist tells the Hill, while an Afghan soldier costs just $12,000. The Obama administration has been using similar figures. (More Afghanistan stories.)

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